Creating objective summaries | Reading | Khan Academy
When you need to write an objective summary
An objective summary can be helpful in a variety of contexts and is an efficient way to quickly explain a piece of media. An objective statement may be needed in the following situations:
What is an objective summary?
A concise description of a text, video, or other piece of media constitutes an objective summary. The summary gives a brief explanation of the work’s main thesis and a few of its most important supporting arguments. A reader can quickly evaluate a piece of media using the objective summary before deciding whether to read it in its entirety.
The importance of an objective summary
It’s critical to maintain objectivity when writing summaries so that the work being summarized can be accurately represented without being influenced by your own opinions or prior exposure to the media. By giving a reader an unbiased summary of a piece of media, you enable them to decide whether or not they want to learn more about it without influencing their experience in any way. Knowing how to write an objective summary is helpful because you might need to in a professional or academic setting.
How to write an objective summary
There are several crucial considerations to bear in mind when writing an objective summary. But after you get the hang of it, it can be an efficient and instructive way to sum up a piece of media. What you should do when composing an objective summary is as follows:
1. Read the original work carefully
Any time you are writing an objective summary for a piece of work, it is crucial to pay close attention to prevent overlooking crucial details. If you find it difficult to concentrate when there are outside distractions present, like music or television, think about turning them off while reading the work.
2. Take notes as you go
It can be difficult to recall all the important details you encounter in a lengthy article when writing an objective summary. The best course of action is to jot down quick bullet point notes as you go. When you come across information that you believe is crucial, be sure to include it in the list’s bullet points.
After finishing the reading and making your notes, you can narrow them down to only the most crucial points. In most cases, an objective summary should only be one paragraph long. Pay close attention to details that pertain specifically to the article’s main argument. If the reader chooses to read the entire article or other media, you can leave out details that don’t directly relate to the main theme and let them discover them on their own.
3. Write in your own words at all times
An essential component of an objective summary is that the writer uses only their own words throughout, never borrowing any expressions from the creator of the original work. A lengthy report on a piece of media may contain direct quotes with citations, but an objective summary should only be a few sentences long and entirely original.
4. Stick to factual statements about the content
An objective summary should not contain editorializing because it is not a review of the media. Avoid saying anything that suggests your opinion of the subjects discussed. Instead, be truthful in what you say about what the article says so that anyone who reads your objective summary will comprehend the article’s main thesis and be able to decide if they want to continue reading it.
5. Lead with a thesis statement
The main argument of the article should be succinctly explained in the first sentence of an objective summary. Three components make up a powerful first sentence: the speaker, what they are saying, and a verb indicating how they are saying it. The opening sentence should be able to stand alone as a shorter summary of the work you’re addressing without any additional information, such as supporting evidence.
6. Support with additional key points
Add further points that are related to the thesis after the initial statement outlining the article’s main thesis. Ideally, there should only be three supporting points in the objective summary. Try to choose one point from the beginning, middle, and end of longer works so that you can give a thorough summary.
If there are more than three notes left on your bulleted list, check to see if any of them are redundant and, if so, combine them into one point. Then, eliminate the points that are least important to maintain the conciseness of the summary.
7. Review and edit
Once you’ve covered your three main points, go back and read the entire summary to make sure it’s succinct and thorough. Check that none of your points are repeated and that you used the fewest number of words possible to write your summary by eliminating any unnecessary flowery language.
Making sure that you still effectively summarized the original piece is a crucial step in editing. It is possible to cut your summary excessively and not adequately summarize the article because so much emphasis is placed on keeping only the most pertinent information. Look for a sentence you can replace or change to include the crucial information if you believe your summary has left out a crucial piece of information.
Objective summary examples
You can create your own summaries by using the following examples of objective summaries as a model:
In “Board Games Form Human Connections in a World That Increasingly Seeks to Sever Them,” Cian Maher makes the case that playing a board game together can help people connect in a way that is challenging to do in other situations. Playing board games for an extended period of time brings two or more people together with the same objective. Many board games allow for conversation and fun with other players while requiring little to no game-related discussion. Games can help people cross linguistic, religious, and other barriers.
Example 2: Maggie Koerth outlines actions you can take to improve the likelihood that a recycling facility will be able to reuse your recyclable materials in “How to Make Sure Your Recycling Get Recycled.” Knowing the local laws and regulations is essential to choosing how to recycle products. Products are made more recyclable by cleaning containers to remove any food debris before recycling. Boxes that have been disassembled are simpler for machines to process at the recycling facility and are more likely to be recycled.
Example 3: Charis Barg discusses her experience buying groceries on a tight budget in “Heres How I Ate for a Whole Week on a $25 Grocery Budget.” Barg carefully planned her meals to maximize the effectiveness of her spending. Dietary restrictions make it more difficult to shop on a budget because stores frequently place a premium on specialty foods. The variety of a meal plan is increased while costs are kept low by choosing meals with interchangeable components.
FAQ
What is an example of objective summary?
Playing board games brings two or more people together for an extended period of time to focus on the same goal.
What are the 4 components of an objective summary?
Breaking Down the Process Read the text. Identify supporting details. Determine a central idea. Write your information and main point in a factual summary without including any opinions.
How many sentences are in an objective summary?
Write no more than the minimum of four to five sentences necessary to convey the main idea. Do not copy the text verbatim; this constitutes plagiarism. Instead, restate the information in your own words. Do not include any opinions or personal thoughts.
What are the three parts of an objective summary?
An objective statement that is written well paints a clear picture of the result or performance you hope to achieve as a result of the lesson. It must be clear, concise, and above all, measurable or observable. Objective statements contain three parts: behavior, conditions, and criteria.
